Dr. Glenn Gregorio (center), SEARCA Center Director, with visitors from Kyoto University Graduate School of Economics
Ten international students from the Kyoto University Graduate School of Economics, along with faculty members led by Prof. Dr. Shuji Hisano, visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 28 February 2025 as part of their field research in the Philippines. The purpose of the visit was to learn about the Center's youth-focused initiatives.
Ms. Sharon Malaiba, Unit Head for Partnerships, introduced the Young Forces for Agricultural Innovation (#Y4AGRI) program—the Center's banner youth engagement initiative. She highlighted some of #Y4AGRI's non-academic and nonconventional approaches to make agriculture enticing to the youth and develop their passion for it in the long run. These include the Sowing Seeds: Cultivating Youth's Future in Agriculture program and the Youth in Agri Talk Show.
The visitors showed interest in youth-focused research projects, leading Ms. Malaiba to discuss the School-plus-Home Gardens Program (S+HGP), which aims to improve school children's nutrition, education, and economic well-being. Piloted in six schools in Laguna, S+HGP has expanded to the provinces of Rizal and Palawan, as well as offshore in Cambodia, through its offshoot projects: School Edible Landscaping for Entrepreneurship (SEL4E) and School-plus-Home Gardens cum Biodiversity Enhancement and Enterprise (SHGBEE).
Ms. Malaiba also presented SEARCA's graduate scholarship offerings as well as grants, such as the Grants for Research towards Agricultural Innovative Solutions (GRAINS), which provides starter funds to researchers, scientists, inventors, and agripreneurs to scale up their technology or innovation models.
The guests capped their visit with a tour of the SEARCA Hub for Agriculture and Rural Innovation for the Next Generation (SHARING) AgriMuseum.